im really enjoying blasting music all the time and listening to some good
audiobooks etc. it really gives you the chance to think about stuff.

my meditation app is going great for me, i feel relaxed more of the time
than the other way around,

And I have been thinking about my friends and family, and how special they
all are to me and how lucky I am to know such wonderful funny and kind people.
Ill be on the oars and scream to myself ‘chuddleyyyy’ or other stupid names I
have for people. I often start laughing when im rowing as i recount funny and
good times shared with friends. its only when you are truly away from them and
facebook that you really appreciate i have found. My family I miss the most, I
have spoken to my parents once each and have been thinking a lot about how lucky
I am to have their unconditional love and support.

Im enjoying having a true opponent that is far superior, and able to teach
a thing or two. Living with rossford, skirvorano, chuddley and jalfreyney i was
lulled into a false sense of security perhaps about my physical strength. I
would often dream apocalypse/ zombie scenarios and chuckle to myself as I
envisioned myself fending them all off with a stick whilst guarding the last few
continental charcuterie selections in the fridge as they desperately tried to
overcome my brute force. I was the big fish in the small pond. Out here the
polar opposite is true. Im not even that big or strong, but for some reason i
always had it in my head that when a big wave came over i would just be able to
hang on or curl into a ball and somehow overcome the power of the sea. But this
was another dream; the reality of the sheer weight, speed and also the
randomness of the sea is tremendous, especially at night when it takes you by
surprise. It really gets the adrenalin pumping. There is a fine line between
having a really good time going down a wave at 10 knts, and then feeling the
boat start to turn to side on and thinking ‘oh turd’. We came close to going
over when a rogue wave hit us from side on, luckily we only lost a bucket and a
pee bottle, but this has been a wake up call for us and we have sharpened up.
You have to concentrate the whole time out here, even when exhausted its so
important to be disciplined, and safety is the most important of them all. I
hope, (and i’m sure my parents will too) to be able to stick with some of these
things I am learning.

yesterday morning i ways going ham on the oars listening to some drum and
bass to keep me awake, and in the rough grey waters i saw a fin and a tail
coming towards the boat- a shark. the combination of the music and scene was
pretty cool, and something that I doubt many could say they have done. ‘sharks n
bass’. sharky got to about 2/3 meters behind the boat and then swam away. he
must have been 8ft.

negative

we have been rowing really fast like tigers for the last 2 days, but it has
left my bum in a miserable state. the salt sores are such a huge pain, and we
didnt bring the right seats sadly, i keep having to adjust my seat which
disrupts when i try and row.

Our waterproofs actually are not water proof

Our cabin has got really wet and we have been eating food in here too which
obviously spills given the rocking about. I’m convinced people said they didnt
eat in the cabin, jamie is convinced they did, anyway, if you imagine a turkish
kebab shop kitchen that has been turned into a steam room you get a pretty good
idea of the texture of the air.

and the food really really really really sucks. the main meals all taste
the same and i would kill for a cheeseburger or just a big tomato weirdly
enough.